


Fourth Time's Much Better

by Serade



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-15 06:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9223103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serade/pseuds/Serade
Summary: Bickslow and Laxus met three times before they got to exchange their first words. 'Third time's a charm' was an overrated saying either way. Fourth time's clearly much better.





	1. Pride

**Author's Note:**

> [Also on Tumblr](http://seradeposts.tumblr.com/tagged/story%3A-foruth-times-much-better)

Finally, the parade was at least moving. Laxus exhaled in relief.

He had been standing at his assigned intersection for over an hour already, trying his best to shoo the waiting audience off the road. He was never going to figure out what part of “stand back” people didn't understand. It wasn't like anyone had trouble with the concept of walkways any other day of the year.

Now there would at least be something to look at while he stood here in his far too hot uniform. Why did it have to be black, honestly? The organisers knew beforehand that their staff would have to stand in the smouldering sun for hours. Would it have been so hard to order a different colour of jacket? At least the orange vest didn't heat up as much, but it did add another isolating layer to the outfit.

The first car turned onto the main road and the announcers happily presented them via speakers.

“First out we have Magnolia Pride, the organizers of the entire festival! Give them a hand!” Etc. etc. Laxus wasn't really listening. He turned around to motion the excited onlookers back off the road again.

'Don't be rude. Don't be rude. Don't be rude', he kept reminding himself. They were just happy. Careless and annoying, but happy. And he had to admit, he was too. It was nice to see they had come so far.

Ten years ago, he was fired from hotel security for being who he was and now here he stood, guarding the pride parade as it made its way through town. It was an honour, even if he was sweating profusely.

Once the first truck had passed by with colourful balloons and loudly partying people aboard, the onlookers at least stayed on the walkways in simple fear of having a car roll over their feet. The focus was now on snapping pictures and hooting with joy. That allowed Laxus to finally relax a little as well. That it would be loud was no surprise.

Between the music blasting cars of the big organisations walked groups that didn't have as much bedazzle. Some got creative with limited resources. One group walked topless with messages written onto their skin. Others handed out candy, stickers, or alike. One group had bikes and little flags for the kids in the front row.

Of course, all the relevant political parties had their own parade equipage as well. Only the far right had been disallowed from participating in order to fight their attempt at pinkwashing, and perhaps also to avoid any conflicts erupting during the walk.

Spaced out evenly along the length of parade, the various marching bands and dance clubs walked. The samba school neared with rhythmic drumming and Laxus could already see them from afar, with their colourful get up.

He watched as they danced along the road, one sure step before the other, hips swaying and arms drawing elegant patterns in the air. It was always a grand sight. He couldn't quite believe the dancers crafted all those costumes themselves. It must take them countless hours of gluing and sewing to attach all of the décor.

This year, one dancer in particular was stealing the show.

In a dazzling outfit of lilac feathers and delicate sliver chains, a tall and well trained man danced along the middle of the road. With glittering makeup that matched his dark red eyes and a smile that could compete with the sun itself, he truly glowed. He seemed so free, placing one light step before the other as though he was walking on clouds. He was bold, fabulous, and he was dancing like nothing could touch him.

Noticing the staring guard at the edge of the road, his smile grew even brighter. He drew nearer for every step, every beat of the drums, until he was right beside Laxus. Making a little turn and ghosting a hand over Laxus's shoulder, he gave a wink and a chuckle before moving on past with waving hips.

Laxus had to remind himself to breathe.

He looked after the dancer in awe until he was out of sight. Far quicker than he had appeared did he disappear again, the tips of his plume and wings drowning in the sea of people once more.

Noticing the man had shed a feather, Laxus picked it from his arm. The calamus between his thumb and index finger, he turned the fluffy décor. The vanes were died in an even lilac hue, and a little dot of glitter was stuck on one side.

Moments like these made Laxus wonder if angels didn't come down to walk the earth sometimes after all. It seems they weren't as ghostly white as often depicted.

Shaking his head at the silly thought, he pocketed the feather.


	2. Dance

Bickslow wasn't ready to let the festivities end. It was the one week where the entire city was decorated in rainbows, where he could proudly walk the streets without a worry in his heart, and where he could flirt freely with other partygoers.

The rest of the year, there was only that one queer club, with the grimy bathrooms and way too many straight couples hanging out. It really wasn't a hit. But tonight, they were celebrating in the castle. All of Fairy Tail was decorated in the colours of their pride. He was going to taste the night out, every last sip of it until midnight strikes, or he found his prince.

Leaving his cumbersome feather back piece and headdress in the car, Bickslow joined the rest of his troupe in the shadowy castle gardens. The concert was fun, but the night really began when the masses moved on into Fairy Tail itself.

Bickslow didn't hesitate to throw himself into the crowd and dance his heart out under the flashing lights. Pulling himself up on one of the heights sticking out of the crowd, he looked over the dancing masses in awe. This was their night, their party, and no one was allowed to ruin it.

Enjoying the view, he spotted someone he hadn't expected to see again quite so soon.

The blond guard from the parade was standing by the door. The firm orange eyes were grazing over the crowd vigilantly. It seemed he was still working. He didn't have that obnoxious orange vest on, but the black t-shirt clearly read 'Security'. And, wow, he looked good in that.

Figuring it would be disrespectful at best to try and flirt with a guard on duty, Bickslow tried to ignore the beautiful blonde, but it was hard to do.

With the long sleeved jacked hanging around the man's hips now that he was inside, you could see just how much muscle there was on the arms crossed over that broad chest.

Bickslow tore his gaze away again.

The guard's short hair was actually dashing. It looked full and well groomed, perfect for slowly running your fingers through it before getting a good grip.

Bickslow shook his head at the thought and once more turned away.

Speaking of grip. The man's hands were rather big, weren't they? Granted, he was pretty big in general, almost as tall as Bickslow himself and definitely broader.

Bickslow averted his eyes several times, but his attention was always inevitably drawn back to the guard. He was rather distracting.

Daring another glance, he saw the piercing orange eyes staring right back at him. The blonde didn't let his gaze wander on past. His eyes hadn't landed on Bickslow by accident. He recognised the dancer, and he didn't try to hide it.

A tiny smile curved his lips and Bickslow grinned back.

He still wasn't about to hit on someone at work, but he could dance and let the guard watch at least.

And so he did, keeping his eyes on the unknown guard while he moved with the music. There was a connection, a flame kept alive in the tension between them. While the flame burned, its light played tricks, reducing the world to here and now, and only them. Even though they were halfway across the room from another, it felt almost like they were standing side by side. If he moved one step closer, he would feel the man's breath on his face.

Bickslow danced for his audience of one until the orange eyes finally broke contact with him, the world snapping back into place around them, and the guard had to focus on someone that needed his help.


	3. Charm

It was a week later that Bickslow saw him again. In the central shopping mall, the blonde was standing outside one of the many clothing stores.

Again, he wasn't there for leisure. The hideous blue uniform with the ill-placed “guard” stitching allowed no ambiguity. Who designed those outfits? They never seemed particularly fashionable, nor comfortable. The thick belt, with gloves, baton, and radio hanging from, it was a good look, though.

This was the third time they ran into another. What was it they said? Twice is coincidence, three is a charm? No, wait, those were two different maxims. Too bad they never seemed to cross paths when the blonde wasn't in uniform.

As if the guard had heard his thoughts, he looked up, and the blond eyebrows raised in surprise. Again, Bickslow could swear he saw a hint of a smile curve the man's lips.

It wasn't really appropriate, he knew that, but maybe he could at least say hi? He didn't have to pull out all stops and flirt. He could just carefully hint it. And if the guard showed any interest, maybe he could ask for his number so they could meet at a better time. Deciding to try, he walked toward the store front.

Noticing his advance, the guard drew a deep breath, straightening his back. Was that a sign of interest? Or did the guard find it uncomfortable that he would be approached in public? Bickslow was about to find out.

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep

The electronic gate two stores down gave alarm, drawing everyone's attention. Rather than the usual reaction, where someone frowns down at their bags and then walks back inside, a young man bolted from the scene, and the blond guard chased after.

It was very impressive just how quick the blonde was, dashing after the thief like lightning itself. Bickslow watched as the guard caught hold of the younger man and swiftly pulled him to the ground before reaching for his radio.

As much as Bickslow enjoyed seeing the guard in action, it really was bad timing. Couldn't that guy have waited five more minutes before stealing something? They were trying to have a moment here. Rude.

It seems he had his eyes set on someone he would never even find the time to talk to. So much for his third time charm.

Sighing, Bickslow left the blonde to his work.


	4. Better

“We can't keep meeting like this.”

Laxus turned around, spotting the dancer from the pride parade standing beside him in the diary isle. For the first time, they actually met when he wasn't preoccupied. Laxus felt his heart take a happy leap, and is stomach protest against the sudden lurch the second after.

“Oh, uh, hi?”

“I've seen you around a few times. I'm Bickslow”, the dancer introduced himself, offering a hand.

Taking it, Laxus nodded. “Yea. Me too. I mean you too. I saw you too.”

Repressing a sigh, he let go of the soft hand. Fuck he sounded stupid!

“I'm Laxus”, he finally managed and Bickslow smiled warmly.

“They say third time's a charm, but personally I think the fourth time is much better. Wouldn't you agree?”

“What?”, Laxus asked and Bickslow chuckled.

He dug for his most cliché line, hoping it would make his intentions clear.

“So, do you come here often?”

Laxus glanced around and frowned, “To… the supermarket?”

Bickslow giggled again. Time to be straight forward it seemed.

“Do you perhaps want to get some coffee?”, he invited and Laxus could hear his brain scream a loud and enthusiastic ' **Yes** '.

“Me?”, he asked and regretted it within the same second. Of course him. What else could Bickslow possibly mean?

“Yea. You.”

“I… okay. Yea, sure. Most cafés are kinda busy now, though”, Laxus agreed. He knew the rush hours around this part of town. He often patrolled at this hour.

Fearing his comment could be read as rejection, he added, “But, I mean, I don't mind. If you don't.”

He did actually mind. It was annoying to have to push through the crowds, and the chatter was way too loud, but he would put up with it if Bickslow wanted to go.

Grinning at the nervous rambling, Bickslow offered, “We could always have coffee at my place. Wanna come see my etchings?”

“Etchings?”, Laxus asked bewildered. Was Bickslow a collector of some sort? He did seem like the arty type.

The man huffed a laugh and a light went for him. He felt so stupid. Bickslow wasn't talking about actual etchings.

“I'd love to.”

Now that was far too eager. After being so daft, suddenly jumping into gear was dumb. Bickslow must think him such a dork.

“Great. Meet me at the checkout in a few then?”

“Right”, Laxus nodded.

He repressed the urge to bang his head against the nearest shelf. 'Right'? How lame could a human even be?!

At least they would finally get to know another. Smiling over both ears, Laxus gave another awkward nod.

Chuckling again, Bickslow turned back to finish his shopping. Laxus was adorable. He was glad to have found the guard again, and for once not at work. This was surely the start of a great friendship, and who knew? Perhaps more than that. He might have come up with it on the spot, but it was true, fourth times were clearly much better.

  



End file.
